Toy Review: SH Figuarts Gokai Red and Gokai Darin

Finally received Captain Marvelous in SH Figuarts form. After the well-accepted entry of the Super Sentai in the SHF line, Bandai thankfully in continuing its success with Gokaigers. Even before I started this review, I saw and read outstanding reviews so I had to see it for myself.

Inclusive of Gokai Red is Gokai Darin - the main steering wheel that makes the Gokai Galleon, well spin around metaphorically speaking. Promising a better wave (again no pun intended) of Super Sentai figures to come, the rest of the Gokaigers will also have their wheels as a plus for every purchase.

Gokai Darin is but nearly accurate to the one seen on the show. The wheel spins, honestly, I had fun spinning this. There is a small hole where you can insert the ranger key to complete the Gokai Darin experience. A stage is also included in the package but with Gokai Red on it, this feels kinda off. If you happen to lose this stage, it won't bother you even a bit.

The box is to say in short - impressive. The mixture of red and gold foil does make Gokai Red a stand out. We all hope that this design will mirror into the rest of the Gokaigers especially with the females.

Gokai Red is absolutely amazing. I believe the joints took the cue from Shin Ichigo which moves better and I think its more fitting for SHF Super Sentais. Most noticeable improvement is on the shoulders, this goes back to basics. I know this works. The body ratio is almost perfect. Playing devil's advocate, I'm sure nitpickers will take on the rest of the arms that feels a bit long for Red.

Inconsistency is shown on the paint apps on the helmet and on the boots. If the shoulder paint is seamless, a miss is found on these parts.

Accessories include the Gokai Gun and Gokai Sabre. There are flip up action cylinder parts on these weapons to replicate the Gokai Final Wave. These silver panels can be replaced with parts that have the Ranger Key latched in. You may not notice it at first, but with a careful inspection, they are there. However the keys at the end are painted in silver that's why they are almost not visible from afar.

He also has 9 hands - the molds are similar to the Shinkengers. Two of which are unique to Gokai Red, a pattern shared with the samurais. Gokaigers aren't complete with the rubbery molded Mobirates. There are two ranger keys - one that you can plug in the Mobirates and the Darin and the other is for just display. Finally, Gokai Red's unique accessory is the folded arms that is easy to replace with the default arms - it is no rocket science to place these in.

Gokai Red definitely wins in the form factor category. Don't throw stones at me when I say I would buy Shinken Red over Gokai Red just because of the accessory count and playability. I'm not saying Gokai Red is bad figure, hell he is way far from being a not-to-buy collectible. But I stand on my ground that Shinken Red still fair just 1 point up over the pirate.